Overcast

When an overcast sky dominates

The photo has lingered in my archives for over eleven years. It was an overcast afternoon in Savannah. The photo from River Street just didn’t work. The bland sky was just too overpowering.

I had gone through my archives for street photography (“My Street Photography“) and I liked this photo except for the blank sky.

Maybe I should try the sky replacement feature in ON1 Photo RAW. It provides a number of sky images that can be used to replace the sky in a photo. I found one that seemed bland enough and got this:

Well, that looks rather artificial, doesn’t it? A blue sky over a shadowless scene? Maybe when made brighter and less colorful?

That seems better, but still a bit fake.

Even more toning down, with just a little bit of texture in the sky and a blush of blue – gray did not appeal at all. Here is my final version. Is this acceptable to you? Is this better than the bland, white sky? Am I being dishonest with this version?

.:. © 2022 Ludwig Keck

6 comments

  1. Unless you are taking a photo for a news story or documentary for that particular day it is not wrong. You are the photographer and artist. Play with the sky or change it to your hearts content. I like your last version because it looks more realistic when you compare them all. Great work.

    1. Thank you, Cee. That fits my thinking. Documentary photography must not be manipulated. Art photography can be – maybe even should be – made to fit the photographer’s vision and intent.

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